


About Time

by Ghilliegirl57



Category: John Proctor modern
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-18 00:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14201202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghilliegirl57/pseuds/Ghilliegirl57
Summary: This was originally a one shot based on the prompts "I really need you" and "What must I do to make you stay?"A short Fluffy little thing about a modern John Proctor and the young woman who works for him





	About Time

 

John sighs, as he reads and re reads the letter. She’s right of course things can’t continue as they are. He checks his watch. 1.25 pm, 5 minutes and she’ll be here. He pulls a fresh sheet of paper from the drawer, and begins to jot down a few notes but when he looks at the page his heart thuds, he can’t believe what he’s written.

Glancing to the side he smiles fondly at the silver framed photograph of a pretty young woman, then kisses his fingers and presses them to the glass.” I think it’s time Elizabeth, don’t you?” in his head he hears her voice as plain as day.

“It’s time John yes it’s time” and he rises from behind the desk to places the photograph on the  bookshelf. “Thank you sweetheart”

“Sorry Lizzie, he wants to see you, in his office 1.30 sharp” Sally shakes her head “Are you sure about this love, I mean why not give it a bit more time”

Sal was a surrogate Aunty I suppose and usually I listen to her good advice but not this time.

The last run in with my boss was, well to say the least not pleasant. So I reckoned that the only way to resolve it was to jump before I was pushed. At 7.30 this morning I sneaked into his study cum office and slapped my letter of resignation on his desk.

By all accounts he wasn’t happy, hence the summons.

The very first time we crossed paths it ended in an argument. He accused me of trespassing and seemed taken aback when I challenged him in return. Mr “High and Mighty” didn’t like it much when I answered him back. Well actually I yelled at him that “I was only on this side of the bloody river because the footbridge had washed away and bloody landowner should replace it” How was I supposed to know that was him?  I have to admit though that I’ve never been told off by anyone as good looking. Legs up to his armpits, short dark hair greying at the temples a neat beard slightly peppered with grey and when I got up close, well hell you could drown in those blue eyes. Oh and he’s tall did I mention that, with a nice body. Not that I really notice, him but it’s hard not to sneak a look when he jogs around the grounds in the morning

 Professor John Proctor, highly respected, published author, authority on Shakespeare. All that took a back seat now because since his father died, he’d swapped the rarefied atmosphere of Academia for the rather more earthy scent of Agriculture. Something he’d thought he’d left behind over 20 years ago.

From that first meeting we never really got on. He likes everything “Just so” and with the best will in the world, I’m nothing if not a bit slap dash. Plus I don’t think he took kindly to being stood up to by someone 20 years younger than him.

There have been a series of mishaps in my short time at the manor. The flooded bathroom which sent water leaking down onto the expensive wallpaper in drawing room, a gouge in the dining room table, the dropped tray which sent a crystal decanter and a dozen glasses crashing to the floor. Good crystal doesn’t break, it explodes into a zillion pieces. We’re still finding the stuff three weeks later. The last straw was my pranging of the new Hilux 4x4 three days ago but I suppose I can understand him losing his shit over that.  
   
He never shouts though, he doesn’t have to, his voice just drops several tones and his eyes turn dark, dark blue. Scary! Strangely he didn’t go ape shit over the truck until after he knew I was Ok. Funny that.

But he does like my cooking, though he complains that I’ll be the ruination of his waistline, Oh and he laughs at my appalling jokes for an academic he has a weird sense of humour. Hell, he’s handsome when he scowls but when he laughs, Oh My Lord he can light up the room. Sometimes I catch him watching me as I play with his children. I adore them, it’s tough for them, they have a lovely home and yes he dotes on them but when you’re 3 and 5 and there’s no Mum it’s hard. Abigail can’t even remember her really and Samuel, well he remembers a few things but not much.

I hang around outside the study door and at exactly 1.30 I knock twice and wait.

“Come in” Oh that voice,  I’ll miss it even if he does always seem to be a grumpy arse.  
John Proctor is seated behind his desk, he doesn’t so much look up as flick his glance up to me.

“Sit down please Lizzie” He gestures to the chair, I sit and he stares straight at me now and holds up the envelope clamping it between his index and middle finger.

“You don’t seriously think I’m going to accept this?” He arches one eyebrow at me as he tosses the envelope onto the desk.

“I hope you do Professor Proctor, I don’t think it would be any use my staying” I hesitate “We don’t get on, everything I do seems to annoy you it’s hardly a good working environment”  
He’s on his feet now but has his back to me as he stares out of the window. Instead of sitting back in his chair he comes to the front of his desk and leans against it arms folded across his chest. Did I mention his chest before oh and his long legs?  
My heart starts to thud a little just nerves I expect.

“I won’t accept it Lizzie” he picks up the envelope, tears it in half and tosses the pieces back on the desk.  
“Oh and just for the record, I know it wasn’t you who flooded the bathroom,” He smiles slightly as he sees my chin drop. “Samuel came clean, he managed to block off the overflow in the hand basin. Five years old and he wanted to see how long it would take to fill,  I think I might have a budding scientist in the family a pity he got distracted and left the water running,”  
Busted he knew all along I was covering for Sam  
“And the dining table, he came clean about that too” I groaned. Professor John bloody Proctor was grinning and It made it all the way up to his eyes. He’d known all along.

“The crystal?” I croaked, I could barely look him in the eye  
“Ah yes the crystal, Abigail that time I think, flying out of the drawing room as I remember, your steering is OK but your braking leaves something to be desired, as for my daughter well the way she hares around she’ll probably take up a career involving something fast and dangerous.”

Bastard, he was openly laughing.

“Now we come to the truck, not your fault either as I understand it”

“I hit a patch of ice I told you.”

“I know you did, but only after you swerved and braked to avoid Matt’s collie.”

Oh yes he was definitely laughing.

Two knocks at the door and a Sal sticks her head around.

“Sorry John, I just need word with Lizzie” She doesn’t look at all surprised to see John laughing.

“Be my guest”

“Lizzie, Diane has just brought Rebecca here....”

I’m out of the chair and almost fall over John’s feet to get to the door.

“Is she ok, what’s wrong?”

“Its fine Lizzie, Di just has to go and pick Alan up from school, he’s had an argument with a wall and lost a tooth so she’ll need to get him to the dentist.

 My heart starts to slow.

"Rebecca’s in the kitchen with my Julie and she’ll be quite happy playing with Sam and Abi. I’ll see you in a few minutes I expect. I’m not sure why she has such a wide grin on her face as she turns and heads towards the dining room.

As I stand in the doorway I suddenly become aware of John behind me. He’s so close I can feel the heat from his body and I jump as he rests his hands lightly on my shoulders and steps in even closer.  
“ _What must I do to make you stay_ Lizzie, what must I say?"  His breath is warm against my ear, I feel the brush of his beard against my neck. My heart is thudding so hard in my chest he can surely hear it.  
“What if I said I’ve fallen in love with you, what if I said _I really need you_?”

I turn around to face him and without even thinking I slide my arms around his neck. John drops his head down laces his fingers in my hair and as he kisses me softly I whisper “That would do it”

The whole world falls away as our kiss deepens and deepens in an admission of how we truly feel. In the background I hear Sal walk past.

“About bloody time you two but if you could manage to come up for air at some point, Tea with the children, kitchen, ten minutes time and don’t be late. The clack of her heels fades away.

On the desk lies the sheet of paper John had scribbled on, he would have no need to give it to Lizzie now.  
For after he had convinced her to let Rebecca sleepover with Abi, he would persuade her to have dinner with him, a dinner which he would cook just for the two of them.  
Then they would sit in front of the open fire in the small sitting room and as she snuggled into him on the comfortable old sofa, she would rest her head on his shoulder and he would hold her close against him twirling a strand of her hair between his long fingers.

Softly, very softly he would begin to speak those same words from memory and she would lose herself in the sound of his beautiful voice.

 

“I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I  
Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?  
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?  
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?  
’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.

  
If ever any beauty I did see,  
Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.  
And now good-morrow to our waking souls,  
Which watch not one another out of fear;  
For love, all love of other sights controls,  
And makes one little room an everywhere.

  
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,  
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,  
Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.  
My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,  
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;  
Where can we find two better hemispheres,  
Without sharp north, without declining west?

  
Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;  
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I  
Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.

  
John Donne


End file.
